Resilient chair support



Jan. 14, 1964 P. KUDRIAVETZ, JR

RESILIENT CHAIR SUPPORT Filed March 5 A T TORNEYS United States Patent 3,117,819 RESILIENT CHAIR SUPPQRT Peter Kudriavetz, J12, Marion, Mass., assignor to Acushnet Process Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 5, 1%2, Ser. No. 177,588 Claims. (til. 297452) The present invention relates to flexible supports in furniture and particularly to means for securing such supports to frame members.

In accordance with the present invention, an elastomer support, in the desired shape, is stretched across a frame. Tabs extending from the four corners of the elastomer support are wrapped around the frame and inserted into the openings of holes along the edge of the frame. The holes extend through the frame and increase in size from the exterior to the interior of the frame so that the wall of the hole has two surfaces which are angularly disposed toward one another. The tabs are pulled through these holes stretching the support to give it the desired resiliency, and securing members, formed to substantially the shape of the holes, are inserted into the opening of the holes in the interior of the frame to forceably secure the tabs between their surface and the wall of the hole. Cushions are then put over the support members and a cover of the desired material is fitted to the assembly.

With such an arran ement, the tension caused by stretching the rubberized material is transmitted to the tabs. The tendency for tabs under such tension is to move in the direction of the force. This motion is transmitted to the securing members forcing them further into the narrowing hole to decrease the clearance between the sur face of the block and the portion of the wall of the hole contacting the tab. With a decrease of the clearance in the holes, the bite of the securing member into the elasticized material support increases thus increasing the securing force. Further, any force which is brought to bear on the support, for instance that from sitting on the support, will likewise tend to increase the securing force.

In addition, with the' described arrangement, metallic clasping or securing devices are not required for attaching the elastomer support to the frame. The necessity for such metallic device has limited the use of elastomer supports in the past. For, in addition to the added expense of attaching the metallic portions to the support member, such securing devices usually resulted in weakening, deterioration, and tearing of the elastomer in the area where they were attached to it.

Besides eliminating the necessity of the metallic parts, the connecting means spread the force exerted by the connections over the large area of surface of the tabs in contact with the wall of the holes and the face of the wedge, thus further minimizing the possibility of the elastomer tearing. With the reliability of each connection increased by this feature of the invention their total number may be decreased. This results in savings in time and money, and it permits the use of the particularly comfortable support arrangement described herein.

In the illustrated embodiment the support is shown as forming the seat portion of the chair. However, it may also be used for the back rest of a chair and in other items requiring support members, such as beds, couches, and cots. Further, the support member may be used without the cushions on the illustrated embodiment so that it forms the seating surface in the chair. In addition, while on the drawings the support member is shown in the form of a resilient platform, the applicants invention may also be applied to strips and webbing.

These and other advantages of the present invention may readily be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

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FIG. 1 is a perspective of a chair incorporating applicants invention, with its seat cushion and covering shown in phantom to reveal the frame and the elastomer support;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the elastomer supporting member used in applicants invention;

FIG. 3 is a section of the chair taken along line 33 in FIG. 1.

Referring to the figures, the chair 10 is shown as having a seat 12 with a wooden frame 14 and an elastomer support 16. On opposing sides 18 and 29 of the frame there are two horizontally oriented holes 22. Each of these holes extends from the exterior surface 24 of the frame 14 through the frame to the interior surface 26 forming rectangular openings in both surfaces. The horizontally disposed surfaces 28 and 3t) of the Wall of each hole are substantially planar and are angularly oriented toward one another so that each hole tapers toward the exterior surface 24 of the frame.

The elastomer supporting member 16 is composed of a main supporting platform section 32 with in egrally molded tabs 34. In terms of simple geometric forms, the support member could be described as being composed of two parallel rectangular strips, the extending ends of which form the four tabs 34, separated by a bi-concave main body portion having one of its non-concave sides in common with one side of each of the strips. When properly attached to the frame, the support member distributes weight properly for comfortable support. In addition, the concavely shaped edges 36 and 38 of the platform prevent the concentration of force at the points 40 where the tabs extend from the main platform 32.

The supporting member is wrapped over the top surface 42 of the frame and the four tabs 34 are each inserted into one of the openings in the exterior surface 24 of the frame 14. The tabs 34) are then pulled through the holes 22 putting the support 16 under tension. When tension is sufiicient to give the platform 32 its desired resiliency, wedgelike securing members 44, having two substantially planar faces which are oriented toward each other to conform to the taper of the holes are inserted, small end first, into the openings of the holes, in the interior surface 26, so that one face of each wedgelike securing member 34 contacts one of the angularly oriented planar surfaces 3% of the wall of the hole in which it is inserted and the other face of the wedge presses the tab 34 against the other planar surface of the same hole. A foam rubber cushion 46 is then put on the support 16 and the desired material 4s is used to cover the cushion and attach it to the frame 14. The back rest, the exterior of which is shown at Stl in the drawing, is similarly constructed.

In operation. it can be seen that the tension to which the elastomer supporting member is subjected tends to pull the tabs 34 through the holes 22 toward the exterior surface 24 of the frame 14. This force is transferred to the wedge shape securing members 44- which thus tend to move, with the tabs, through the holes 22 toward the exterior surface 24 of the frame 14. Any movement of the securing members 44 toward the exterior surface decreases the clearance between tne top faces of the securing members and the surfaces 28 of the holes, thus increasing the bite of the securing members into the tabs 34.

Any weight or force which contacts the supporting member such as the weight of a person sitting on the seat or the force exerted by the cushion on the support will also tend to move the tabs through the hole toward the exterior surface of the frame, and thus likewise increase the force exerted by the securing members to hold the tabs in place.

Since the force exerted by the block on the tab occurs over the surface of the block in contact with the tab, problems with tearing because of concentration of forces at the securing point and deterioration of the tabs 3-"; in the contact area are avoided. Preferably, the edge 52 of t-e frame 14, over which the tabs 34 are wrapped, is gently curved to prevent wearing of the tabs by the edge, and the tabs are folded over the securing members 44 and attached to the interior wall 2% by a nail 54 to prevent the accidental loss or removal of the wedge shaped securing members.

It will be further understood that this is to cover all changes and modifications of the described form of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and sco e or the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A furniture support comprising a frame with holes there-in, said holes extending through said frame and tapering from one side of the frame to the other, an elastorner support member stretched across the frame with portions extending into the tapered end of the holes, and wedgelilre securing members with faces angularly conforming to the taper of the holes positioned small end first into the untapered end of the holes in forceable contact with the elastomer support member and the tapered side walls of the holes so that the force exerted by the stretched support member to return to its unstretched shape tends to drive the securing members further into the holes.

2. A resilient furniture support comprising a frame having holes through it, said holes having two planar portions of their walls angularly disposed toward one another so as to form two openings one larger than the other in the surface of the frame, an elastorner support member having tabs thereon, said support member being stretched over said frame to provide the proper resiliency to the support with the tabs inserted into the smaller openings of the holes, and wedge shaped securing members with two substantially planar surfaces conforming to the planar walls of the holes, said wedge shaped securing member being inserted small end first into the larger opening of said hole so it forces the tabs into parallel engagement with one of its substantially planar faces and one of the substantially planar surfaces of the hole so that the elastic restoring force of the support member and any other force tending to remove the tabs from the holes force the securing members against the tabs of the support member to increase the securing force.

3. A furniture support comprising a frame with two holes through two opposing portions of the frame to form two openings in the interior surface of each opposing portion and two openings in the exterior surface, of each opposing portion, said holes having two planar interior walls angularly disposed toward one another to form larger openings in the interior surfaces than in the exterior surfaces, an elastic support member with two sets of opposing tabs stretched across the support member with each tab inserted into one of the four smaller openings of the holes, said tabs being pulled through said holes to give the elastic support member the proper resiliency, and a wedgelike securing member with two planar faces angularly disposed toward one another in the same manner as the walls of the holes inserted small end first into each of the four larger openings to force each of the rubber tabs into substantially parallel engagement with one of its planar faces and one of the planar surfaces of the wall so that movement of the tab out of the hole forces the securing member further into the hole to increase the securing force.

4. The structure of claim 3 including securing means for securing the ends of the tab to the interior surfaces so a portion of the tab covers the wedgelilie member to prevent its accidental removal.

5. The structure of claim 3 including cushion means on the elastic support member and covering means over the cushion and attached to the frame to hold the cushion in forceable contact with the elastic support.

6. The structure of claim 3 wherein the edge of the frame is curved to prevent tearing of the tabs.

7. The structure of claim 3 wherein said elastomer support is in the form of two parallel rectangular strips separated by an integrally molded main body portion said parallel rectangular strips having four ends extending from the main body portion to form the tabs.

8. A support comprising a frame with a plurality of holes extending there through, each hole having two opposing faces which taper in the direction of extension through the frame, an elastoiner support stretched across the frame with portions of said support extending into the holes at the tapered end thereof and positioned against a first of the tapered faces thereof, and a securing memher having two similarly tapered opposing faces positioned in each hole with the tapered faces of the securing member and the tapered faces of the hole arranged in a complementary manner and with at least one of the tapered faces of said securing member forced against the portion of the elastomer support in each hole, said securing members being held in the holes by the force exerted on the securing members by the elastomer support and the tapered faces of the holes.

9. The structure of claim 2 wherein said elastorner support is in the form of two parallel rectangular strips separated by an int-e rally molded main body portion, said parallel rectangular strips having four ends extending from the main body portion to form the tabs.

10. The structure of claim 7 wherein said opposing sides of said main body portion are convexly curved.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A FURNITURE SUPPORT COMPRISING A FRAME WITH HOLES THEREIN, SAID HOLES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FRAME AND TAPERING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE FRAME TO THE OTHER, AN ELASTOMER SUPPORT MEMBER STRETCHED ACROSS THE FRAME WITH PORTIONS EXTENDING INTO THE TAPERED END OF THE HOLES, AND WEDGELIKE SECURING MEMBERS WITH FACES ANGULARLY CONFORMING TO THE TAPER OF THE HOLES POSITIONED SMALL END FIRST INTO THE UNTAPERED END OF THE HOLES IN FORCEABLE CONTACT WITH THE ELASTOMER SUPPORT MEMBER AND THE TAPERED SIDE WALLS OF THE HOLES SO THAT THE FORCE EXERTED BY THE STRETCHED SUPPORT MEMBER TO RETURN TO ITS UNSTRETCHED SHAPE TENDS TO DRIVE THE SECURING MEMBERS FURTHER INTO THE HOLES. 